Warp core breach
A warp core breach is when a starship's warp core fails. There are several ways in which a warp core failure can occur. The most common is a coolant leak, which causes a cascade failure within the system. One system failure with catastrophic consequences is a loss of antimatter containment. When matter and antimatter mix, the ship, and any matter in the surrounding area, are destroyed. A warp core breach is usually the last in a series of systems failure aboard a starship, resulting in an irreversible event. A chief engineer or other crew member can implement a warp core ejection as a last-ditch effort to save the ship -- this is a risky maneuver and usually does not work. The captain or commanding officer may order the ship's company to escape via saucer separation, leaving the stardrive section to be destroyed while survivors evacuate in the saucer section, or, where that is not possible, egress the ship via escape pods and shuttlecraft. Historical examples 22nd century In 2157, the ''Discovery'' (NX-04) nearly suffered a warp core breach while under attack by two Romulan Birds-of-Prey. Executive officer Charles Clow stopped the breach but lost his life during the battle. (Star Trek: Poseidon - The Birth of the Federation) 23rd century Around 2265, the ran a simulation of a warp core breach. ( ) The Rittenhouse Incident was a warp core breach in progress aboard the in 2291. Quick thinking by Commander Robert Lupia saved the ship, but not before seven crew including the commanding officer were killed. (Tales of the Seventh Fleet) 24th century Early half of the century The fought off Klingon forces defending New Ruritania in 2331, but the damage to the ship cascaded into a warp core breach, destroying the ship. (Star Trek: Accord: "The USS Accord Fictional Timeline v. 2.0 beta") The was assumed lost to a warp core breach in 2358, but this proved later to be untrue. ( ) 2360s Early in 2364, after being attacked by an unknown force, the was destroyed by a warp core breach. Timothy Sinclair was one of a handful of survivors. (PDN: "Wings As Eagles", "Cloak and Dagger", "Memoriam", "Of Shadows and Starlight") Later that same year, two M'Tar attacked the , triggering a false warp core breach signal. The survivors evacuated the ship, and some claimed to see it explode. In reality, the M'Tar stole the ship, and the flash was a jump to warp. During the Battle of Wolf 359 in 2367, the and were severely damaged. Eleven crew, including Elizabeth Singh, made it off the Rebellious before a warp core breach occurred, killing all other survivors aboard. Benjamin Sisko and his son Jake both escaped the Saratoga before its destruction in the same manner. ( ) Later in 2367, the Artemis was really destroyed by a warp core breach triggered by Na'arbi devices used by Hahn Jun-Seok. After a battle with Breen privateers, the suffered a core breach, but survivors evacuated on the saucer section. 2370s The was destroyed by a warp core breach in 2370. Then-Lieutenant Commander Jay Allan was one of the Monitor survivors. (Star Trek: Pendragon; Kal-Dixas Spaceport) In 2371, the suffered a core breach, destroying the stardrive section and sending the saucer section into an unrecoverable decent into Veridian III's atmosphere. ( ) In 2373, the suffered a warp core breach due to battle damage fighting Samantha Delaney's Dark Starship. The crew successfully escaped in the saucer section. Around 2374, Logan MacLeod devised the MacLeod Maneuver, during which a starship charges an enemy starship while faking a warp core breach. ( ) The was destroyed by a core breach in late 2375. ( ) Compromised by a computer virus in 2376, a warp core breach destroyed the . ( ) In the same year, a catastrophic design flaw saw the destroyed. (Star Trek: Independence: "The Expropriation") In early 2377, a malfunction in the warp core ejection system saw the destroyed by a warp core breach with no loss of life. (Star Trek: Black Hawk: "Breech!") 2380s In 2381 the Alexandria was lost after leading an assault into the Mirror Universe and was pushed back into its own. The barrage from the Imperial starships caused extensive damage, leading to a warp core breach. The saucer section separated with the crew safely aboard. Hours later, the crew had to evacuate the saucer section after it took heavy damage from the pursuing Imperial forces. (ODSY: "Distant Stars") External link * Category:Propulsion technology